Calling all Cruisers who have been to Europe...

[Appgrad]

I am looking for anyone who has done a Mediterranean cruise. I want to go in June-July of 2004. I have several questions:

1. Which cities were your favorites? What tours/attractions/historical places are must sees in that city?

2. Which cruise line were you on? How did you like the cruise?

 

I am going to post this on a couple of different boards to maximize my responses! Any feedback is appreciated!!

[cruzy-sue]

Last summer I had the cruise of a lifetime!! We went on the Silver Whisper (SILVERSEAS LINE) from Venice, Italy with stops at Korcula and Dubrovnik (in Croatia) then Delphi, Corfu and Santorini (Greek Isles) with a final stop at Athens. Although this was a cruise of the Adriatic Sea, I think we were also in the Meditteranean for the Greek Isles portion.

 

I wasn't so sure about the Croatian islands prior to sailing, but boy was I pleasntly surprised.... Just so beautiful.

 

I would have to say that although I absolutely adored each stop, Santorini was my favorite. The scenery, the people, the shopping and the food. Need I say more???

 

We also were in Florence and Rome, Italy - and of the entire trip -I adored Rome, which I think can be a port on Mediterranean cruises.

 

Whatever you choose, I'm sure it will be fabulous!!!

[truffles2]

We did a Mediterranean cruise on Vision (RCI) a few years ago. I never met a city I didnt like and to pick a favorite would be difficult (maybe London because there is soooooo much to do). We cruised from Barcelona. I would do another one in a heartbeat. Also did a cruise of the Greek Islands on a small ship (VERY small) and would love to go there again. I think it is impossible to see everything in the ports while cruising but try to see as much as you can. Having traveled in Europe quite a bit made it easier to know which high points to hit.

[lephysteria]

We did the Med for our honeymoon. It was a great trip. We sailed from Barcelona to Venice on the Star Princess. We went in May and it was already getting warm. I have a link to the review in my signature. You're more than welcome to read it. I have Med pictures in my signature too.

 

Our favorite port was Barcelona. But a close second would be Naples (the amalfi coast was beautiful)!

 

Hope this helps!

Jen

 

p.s. - Prepare yourself for the Mediterranean now. Start walking 10 miles a day to get your feet used to the conditions on the trip!

[wwinfl91]

We did a Med cruise on the Golden Princess in July 2003 that left from Barcelona, went to Monte Carlo, Livorno (for Florence and Pisa), Naples (for Pompeii and Herculaneum), Athens, Kusadasi (for Ephesus) and Istanbul and ended up in Venice where we stayed for an extra 3 days.

 

Expect to take a lot of pictures everywhere. The entry of the ship into Venice as the sun was rising behind us allowed us to take great pictures of almost the whole city (from the top deck of the ship) and was one of the real high points of the cruise. The private tours we took in Istanbul, Naples and Florence were fantastic because we got to see more than if we had taken the cruise lines big bus tours and didn't end up costing that much more because we split the cost with 3 other couples. Seeing the Acropolis and the Agora in Athens while on a ships tour was another highlight although I wish we had spent more time there and less on shopping time but that is what happens on ship sponsored tours.

 

Even though we spend 4 1/2 days total in Venice we still didn't see and do everything we had planned to. Traveling by waterbus (vaporetto) adds a lot more time than the distances covered but was a lot cooler and more fun than walking. But if Venice is at either end of your cruise try to plan on spending at least a couple of extra days there as it is a magical place.

 

We were on the Golden Princess when we did the cruise but I think the Grand Princess is doing it this year which is a sister ship. We enjoyed the ship and the PC (personal choice) dining option. The ship didn't seem as big as it actually was (we had 2800+ onboard with 1300 cabins). We only had to tender at Monte Carlo so getting on and off the ship wasn't ever a problem.

 

As you can tell we really enjoyed our cruise. If you would like a detailed description of the cruise I wrote up I can email you a copy. It is 43 pages long in MS word format and I can also send it in Adobe PDF format if you have Adobe reader.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[Tatka]

Splendour of the Seas , last May

 

Barcelona - Marseilles - VilleFranche (Cannes/Monaco/Nice) - Livorno(Florence) - Civitavecchia(Rome) - Naples(Naples/Capri/Sorrento/Pompeii) - Day at Sea - Barcelona

 

Most interesting from historical point of view probably Florence and Rome..and to some extent Naples(Pompeii).

 

However I loved French Rivere (Marseilles and VilleFranche area) more than Italian. I am even thinking about this cruise http://www.easycruise.com/. While it's not traditional cruise it will give me whole week in that beautiful area for reasonable money.;)

 

Naples area is very pretty... Capri, Amalfi drive and Naples itself.

 

Loved Barcelona too(all Gaudi's magical buildings!!!).

 

I second opinion about physical condition;) . We're fairly young and active (32 yo) and we were DEAD tired!

 

Your best bet is to hire private driver in Rome and Florence/Pisa so you won't have to do them on your feet.

[WeBeCruisin']

I am looking for anyone who has done a Mediterranean cruise. I want to go in June-July of 2004. !!

 

Talk about procrastination! Uh... Appgrad... you're abut a year late in starting your planning.:D

 

We went from Barcelona on a 12-day Mediterranean cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas in 2001 and very much enjoyed it. We had stops in Nice, Cannes, Marseilles, Livorno, Naples, Rome, Venice, Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Sicily. Everything was enjoyable, but highlights were the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Isle of Capri and Sorrento, Vatican City and the Coliseum in Rome, two wonderful days in Venice with a night gondola ride, and climbing to the edge of a crater on Mount Etna in Sicily.

 

In July, we're going again, this time for 12 days on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, which will leave from Barcelona and include many of the same stops, but in addition will include the Greek Isles, Athens, and Turkey. We're very excited about this trip, too.

 

Celebrity's Millenium is also in the Med this summer, and Princess has a very nice itinerary also. Costa has a lot of Med cruises, but I've not heard the best things about that line.

 

Allen

[Kviolasr]

We did the RCCL Splendour western Med cruise in June of 2002 (Barcelona, Villefranche, Florence, Rome, Naples, Malta). This was an excellent but VERY active cruise, It was very difficult to decide which excursions to pick in each port. As a previous poster said, you will be dead tired after each port day. My personal favorites were Barcelona and Naples (we took a ferry to Capri). I highly recommend this itinerary.

[Appgrad]

Oops! I meant 2007!

 

WWINFL91- Please send me a copy of your review! My e-mail is rendy.dinovo--at--no spam--bellsouth.com.

 

Change the at to @ and take out the "-" and no spam to get my e-mail address.

[wwinfl91]

Appgrad,

 

The report was just emailed to you. Hope you enjoy it and your Zuiderdam cruise.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[vickie1ok]

I have been to Europe numerous times, but not on a cruise. My favorite cities which are on a cruise itinerary are Paris, Rome, Venice, London, Dublin, and Amsterdam.

 

If I had my druthers on an European cruise, I would pick Russia and Scandinavia. Mainly because I haven't been to most of those places. A Greek Islands and Istanbul would be up there as well. But heck, I'd do any Europe cruise. You can't lose. When you decide on an itinerary, let us know and I'll tell you what to visit in ports I have been to. That's pretty crucial, because if you only have a day in Paris and Rome, whew, it is rough pickings on what to see. Frankly, you won't have many options and will probably have to pick a cruise sightseeing package.

[tipster42]

Costa Romantica - Beautifal ship, great food, lots of pasta. Very few Americans, ship picked up/dropped off pax at every port, like a big bus. Constantly changing fellow cruisers.

 

Western Med. Genoa - Boarded

Naples - Pompeii, Great Pizza

Palermo - Friendliest people, empty beaches

Tunis - Carthage, The Souk

Ibiza - Pretty town, great nighttlife

Majorca - Great beaches

Barcelona - A walk down Las Ramblas